mocollum



Aug. 20, 1929. A. F. M COLLUM BLOCK PRINTING MACHINE Filed April 13, 1928 '2 Sheets-Sheet 'Au 20, 1929. A. F-. McCOLLUM 1,725,717

BLOCK PRINTING MACHINE Filed April 15, 1928 2 sheets-sheet 2 1 2m the "attached drawings 1- Fig.2 ism-enlarged section t5: comprises a series i 50; transversely Patented Aug, 2Q, 192

ALFRED; 1memm, or 3:0

block printing machines; "and the principal object-0f the intention is to provide a rnachine of this type adapted for printing woven pile fabrics andin general any textile fabric -havin eelvagedpdges and on whichthe iprinte idesign is to be carried to'saidedges. 5 "More particularly; the p 1 in anovel aria-n ement 01; parts whereby the 'elei'i'ients'wifhiell eed the fabric'thtough the machine are so relatively arranged'wit'h respect to at least ene Of -the printing blocks that-the fcrmer'ddesnot interfere with the operation otfithe latter in printing to the ex- ;treme'edg of'the fabric;- Anothergcbject 0f. theinvention isto rovide a: printing machine 0f the stated type which s'h'all' be furtheradapted t0 the print -20 ing of textile fabri'es byinclusion of suitable teasling means arranged to remove from the fabrie snch loasematerial as may interferewithithe elfieient operati n of the printinvention resides Figure l is: amore er less diagrammatic 1ongitiidinal eetion-throu h a; portion era printing machine made in accordance with inVenti'or'r;- I

of a portion ofthe meehanismshown in Fig. 1;

=Fi gi 3is'a transverse sectidii on the line -e-e;:Fig;2;- y w Y Figs. 4 and 5 are fragmentary transverse sectional "views emthe and -5,

*respectivelm'Fig; 2; and I Fig; 6- is: a-viewin perspective of'a sec- :tion of h e e lu tiatifig a dean of constructiun. v

40 Referring-tq thedraivinge, 'the-niachine 1 may comprise theusnal frame l'siipperting atable' 2 over which the fabric 'isfed from a roll 3 mounted in the usual -manner at one end efthe'machine'. -The"ma'ehin fiirther pri ting block's extending longitudinally f tHe-ma hine two of which are shown the-drawings and indidated by the fference nt'lmrals 4 and 5 re- 7 spectivel ya' These bioeks "which: extend aerbss the table 2 are reciproeated vertically 'by well: means? to bring themriodieally into Contact; with thessurfaee the fabric fed, as hereinafter described, along the table 2.

"snoex-rammme MACEINE' j. Application filed April 13,

- This'inv ention relates to improvements in sides of the machine,

1928; Serial no; 269:,770.

Intermediate or adjacent the iprintin blocks and in" accordance with the 'usda practice I "are located suitable greceptacles fi for the dye or. 1 other substance constituting the. printing medium and operatively 'asseciated therewith a roll I which-'isadapted for-distributing the said-medium over the faces of the blocks. I To 'accbmplislr'tliis,

the receptacles, as custom2117;;lntty'jhe mounted upon wl1eels8 which eperateen "suitable tracks or in guidesatthe' opposite and means is prvided whereby the receptacles are periodicall drawn under the blocks so that the=distrib"*'-- uting roll 7 is brought into contact with the working. faces of the "latter; ']E1'1"-the 7 present instance, I have" illustrated T the "receptacles 6: connected through a rod 19 with arm '10 on ashaft 11, this armbei g efsc'illated in any desired manner from sheep "erating' mechanism of'the'machin'e 'an'd in 'tirnedrelation with the'fmoveinent' of't'lie As a means" foradyancing the fabric along the table 2 I-' prov'ide"a't'each'side 6f the machine in thepresentf'instance an endle'ss belt or chain' 12 which at the-forward elf id of the Inachine operates' around a pulley 13, this belt having projecting "from. its iohter 'face a longitudinal series (if-"pins oiVspikes 14: adapted to penetrate the fabric frorrfthe 5 under side and at the'longitudinal edges thereof Whereby, vthe belt moving as indi- "c'atedJthe fabric is dragged along thei table funder' the printing blocks. It has be n customary in machines o fth'is "type used in the printing of oilcloth" i demilar' materials to printthe'desired design slihrt of the lateral edges of the material leaving an unprinted strip at each edge in which the pins 14 take effect; and which is eventually trimmed off. ,In "printing textile fabrics having selva'ged edges,this method of printing is manifestly inadequate byrea'son ofjthe "fact that the fabric cannot be triinnie'dand by reason further; that the border design "must extend in rnost instances to the extreme edge of "the fabric, In the present machine, th refore; I preyide" means .whereby' 'the fabric inoving 'e'l ements12 operate'without interfering.with'the'op eraticri of at lealst "one of The printing" bl'cicks' in printing fabric to the extreme'side 'edges. iilflstrated in the drawings, the pulleys 13 around posite edges with an inclined slot 15 extend- .its .function primarily is block. 1

the belt at a predetermined. point moves "the plane of the table'br'inging the'pins 14 into contact with the under surface ,of' the. fabric 16, as shown in Fig. 2, whereby the. pins are caused to enter thepfabricand the latter is carried along the table in the usual one transverse sideof thetable 2-to-the other, and'is thereby adapted to print to the extreme side edges of the fabric. iWhere'a border design isto be impressed upon the fabric, the block 4: will carry this design, and

that of a border 1 ...It'wi11 be and 6 that the table 2 is provided at the oping inwardly from the edges which provides .passage for the'belt 12-in-its travel to,the

gupper plane of the table, it being-understood 30 that infthe .remainderof its upper .run the belt is supported on the surface of the table, and as clearlyillustrated in Fig. 6, the edge portions of .the table upon which-the belts run are depressed to an extent correspondin to-tl1ethiclmess of 'the belt.

iollowingthe printingof the border by I the block 4, the remaining blocks represented ;for: example by theblock- 5, theeffective printing faces of which are-shorteratrans- Versely of the machine than the block 4:, print the interior design between the borders in-the usual .manner and are unobstructedby the belt 12 orv the pins 14 which penetrate the edges of the fabric. I 1 I v In the printing of textilefabrics, and particularly of the pile fabrics which are or- .dinarily employed in the manufacture of floor coverings, I have found'that' there isa tendency, particularly with certain types of v in the fabric to stick to and accumulate on y thev faces of the printing. blocks. eventually material ly interfering ,with their normal opprinting block, for the lose lint and threads 1 .eration. I have discovered that this undesiroperating on the fabric immediately in adable effect may be eliminated to a large degree'by. means of a suitable teasling device vance of the printing blocks and-adaptedto remove all loose substances from the fabric.

Such .a device is illustrated in the drawings 'inwhich a hollowmanifold member 16 extending transversely over the table 2 is connected at one end with a suitable fan or exhauster (not'shown) .and which also com noted reference Figs. 2

municates with a plurality of hoods 17 which x exl zf qw s y Q 3 -'P9 '1Q ja'cent the upper "surface of=the fabric as it movesalong the table. In the lower parts of, the hoods l'l ,is a .rotary brush .18 on a shaft. 19 fj oiiriialedfj in,l.the present; instance 'in"sa id 'hoo'dmuemuves and having at one enda pulley-2O by means of whichthe shaft is operatively connected with a suitable source of:.power,:- as; for example a belt 21 operating from the shaft 22 of the machine.

Intermediate the forward end of :This brush is injdirect contact withthe fabric the machine and the point where the belt 12 f comes into operative relatiOnWiththe fabric, 1' locate. the printing-block 4, which is there- 1 byaiforded an unobstructed operationfromf as illustrated in Fig. 2 andlis preferably ro- -tated ima direction opposed to the movement of the fabric 0111tl18 table. Under these 'circumstances,-all; the loose materials in the,

themanifold 16 has at its outer closed'end a detachable cap 23- providingaccess .-to the'. interior .of the manifold. for. cleaning .purposes T ;.j.By means of theforegoingmechanism, I have provided-a block-printing machine which is adapted for the-printing of textile;

fabrics. It will be understood thatthe-mar chine 1 may. vary largely as to the: details of construction without departure from theessential r features 015 .the invention 1 as defined in the appended claims.

I claim: ;1.11' u,a block printing. machine, the com .bination with asupport .for the printed article', of printing blocks operatively associated with said support, means adapted to ,engagethe, side edges of said article for feeding it over the support, means for relatively moving the supportand the blocks whereby the latter are caused to impressa marking on. said article, and means for rendering said feeding means locally inoperative to engage the article whereby at least one of said blocks is enabled to make an impression to the ex- .treme side edges of the article.- 2. In a=block printing machine, thecom-; bination with a table support forthe printed article, of means adapted to engage the side edges of the article for advancing the latter on the table, printing blocks for impressing a design on the article, at least one of said blocks being adapted to make an impression to the extreme side edges of the article, and means for rendering the advancing means .10- cally inoperative to engage the article to leave the-article unobstructed for operation of the last-named block. i.

3. In a block printing machine, the combination with a printing platen, of print-in blocks operatively associated with the platen,

means for advancing an article onY-the platen and for. holding the article for operation of the printing blocks in i impressing Y a design thereon, and means for rendering-said advancing and holding means locally inoperative to afford a completely, unobstructed area extending from one side edge to the other side edge of the article for operation of at least one of said blocks.

4:. In a block printing machine, the combination with; a platen support for the printed article, of an endless conveyer element the upper run of which is adapted to move at the sides of said platen, said conveyer elementhaving outwardly projecting pins adapted to pierce the printed article on the platen, and said platen extending at one end beyond said conveyer, and a plurality of printing blocks for impressing a design on the article, at least one of said blocks being operative with that portion of the platen extending beyond the conveyer whereby it is afforded an unobstructed operation to the extreme edges of the article.

5. In a block printing machine, the combination with a platen support for the printed article, of a plurality of printing blocks operatively associated with said platen, means for'actuating said blocks to impress a design upon an article on the platen, and means for advancing an article from one end of the platen towards the other including article-gripping elements adapted to engage the article at a point rearwardly of at least one of said printing blocks whereby the latter is afforded an unobstructed operation from one side to the other of said article.

ALFRED F. MGOOLLUM. 

